A FRENCH businessman has revealed plans for a newly formed airline to operate a regular service between Scotland and the north west of France.
The plans would see Lorizon Aircraft operate a three-weekly service between Inverness Airport and Lorient-Bretagne-Sud Airport in Brittany.
Lorizon Aircraft was founded in July this year by Maxime Ray, a businessman and former president of the Vannes Olympique Club football club.
The airline has acquired two 37-seat Embraer ERJ 135s, with a focus on regular corporate flights for business travellers. Excess seats will then, in turn, be sold to "ordinary" passengers "for attractive prices".
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Reports in France suggest Lorizon Aircraft invested nearly €8 million in the purchase of the two planes, having worked closely with local government office Lorient Agglomération and Morbihan Chamber of Commerce in Brittany. One of the aircraft was delivered last week, after flying with Loganair.
“These are private flights with a certain number of seats which will be marketed over the counter, by the airport, at a competitive price to discover the Highlands, at the foot of Loch Ness”, Lorizon Aircraft founder Maxime Ray told Le Telegramme.
The French startup airline said the entry into service of the two aircraft will also require the opening of a maintenance centre at Lorient-Bretagne Sud, which will create 14 jobs and attract other airlines.
Lorizon Aircraft plans to serve three additional airports in France in Paris, Toulon and Lyon in 2023 as part of a "rebirth" of airport activities at Lorient-Bretagne Sud, which has been left with a very limited service after national carrier Air France abandoned operations there in March of 2021.
At present, only one regular commercial flight operates from the airport in APG Airlines’s weekday service to Toulouse-Blagnac Airport.
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Air ITM already operates a non commercial route from the airport to Inverness for sailors from La Scapêche, the Lorient-based fisheries group, while the airport is also used by sports teams FC Lorient and Rugby Club de Vannes for charter flights.
Also known as Lorient-Lann-Bihoué Airport, the airport has a single terminal that can handle up to 180,000 passengers per year and is located in the town of Ploemeur, west of the city of Lorient, in the department of Morbihan, one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Brittany.
At present, Inverness Airport operates two international flights, a KLM service to Amsterdam and seasonal charter flights by TUI to Palma de Mallorca. Loganair are also due to begin operating a seasonal flight to Bergen in Norway in May next year.
More news on the service is set to be announced by Lorizon Aircraft in the coming weeks.
Highlands and Islands Airports Limited were approached for comment.
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